Generic command interface for multiple executable routines having character-based command tree

ABSTRACT

A processor based system includes a parser, configured for identifying whether an input word received from a user is a new command word relative to a character-based command parse tree, and a tree management process configured for managing the character-based command parse tree. The character-based command parse tree includes multiple element levels for respective character positions for each known command word, and at least one character element at each level. Each character element specifies at least one corresponding character component and a corresponding at least one index value. The parser determines whether the input word is a new command word based on whether the characters of the input word match successive elements, with the last character matching an end node, within the character-based parse tree; if the parser determines that the input word is a new command word, the tree management process performs update operations to accommodate the new command word, including updating the character-based command parse tree with the new command word.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of commonly-assigned,copending application Ser. No. 09/604,880, filed Jun. 28, 2000, entitledGENERIC COMMAND INTERFACE FOR MULTIPLE EXECUTABLE ROUTINES, thedisclosure of which is incorporated in its entirety herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to command and interface control ofOperating Administration and Monitoring (OAM) executable routines withinsoftware systems.

2. Description of the Related Art

Operating Administration and Monitoring (OAM) tools are software-basedresources used as administration and/or diagnostic tools for complexprocessor-based executable software systems, such as software-basedunified messaging software systems. A subset of OAM tools includes RealTime Monitoring (RTM) programs, used to monitor and control selectedstates and processes within the software based system. For example, agiven RTM program may generate a real-time display (i.e., “a screen”) ofselected parameters during execution of a prescribed process; the RTMprogram may also provide a diagnostic resource that enables resetting ofvarious states or variables within the prescribed process. Otheradministration and diagnostic tools include external binary files thatexecute in response to a procedure call, and Simple Network ManagementProtocol (SNMP) agents or scripts configured for generating an e-mailmessage as an alarm in response to a detected event.

Hence, system administrators may attempt to utilize multiple toolswithin a software system in order to increase the availableadministration and diagnostic tools for improved system performance. Theuse of multiple RTM programs and other OAM tools, however, requires theusers to remember the names and syntaxes of numerous commands for therespective RTM programs and OAM tools. Hence, an increase in the numberof OAM tools would result in the system administrator needing to developexpertise in the command names and syntaxes for the respective OAMtools.

The commonly-assigned, copending application Ser. No. 09/604,880discloses validation of a generic command relative to a command parsetree. The command parse tree includes multiple elements, each specifyingat least one corresponding generic command component and a correspondingcommand action value. A parser, upon identifying a best match betweenthe command parse tree elements and the received generic command, issuesa prescribed command for a selected management program according to thecorresponding command format. Hence, a user may control multiplemanagement programs having respective command formats in a manner thateliminates the necessity that the user needs to know detailed commandformats and syntaxes of each management program.

The addition of new commands, however, requires maintenance processingfor the addition of new elements to the command parse tree. For example,each word in the new command needs to be compared to a dictionary ofvalid words in the system. In addition, for any new words found, a tokennumber needs to be defined, and the word to token algorithm needs to bemodified to include any new word in the string to token encoding.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

There is a need for an arrangement that enables a simple commandlanguage to be utilized for control of multiple RTM programs havingrespective command formats, wherein new commands can be automaticallyadded without manual reconfiguration of the system by a systemadministrator.

These and other needs are attained by the present invention, where aprocessor based system includes a parser, configured for identifyingwhether an input word received from a user is a new command wordrelative to a character-based command parse tree, and a tree managementprocess configured for managing the character-based command parse tree.The character-based command parse tree includes multiple element levelsfor respective character positions for each known command word, and atleast one character element at each level. Each character elementspecifies at least one corresponding character component and acorresponding at least one index value. The parser determines whetherthe input word is a new command word based on whether the characters ofthe input word match successive elements, with the last charactermatching an end node, within the character-based parse tree; if theparser determines that the input word is a new command word, the treemanagement process performs update operations to accommodate the newcommand word, including updating the character-based command parse treewith the new command word.

One aspect of the present invention provides a method in aprocessor-based system configured for executing a plurality ofmanagement programs according to respective command formats. The methodincludes receiving from a user an input word representing at least aportion of a generic command, and determining whether the input word isa new command word relative to a character-based command parse treeconfigured for identifying known command words. The method also includesselectively adding the input word to the character-based command parsetree based on determining that the input word is a new command word. Themethod also includes validating the generic command, and issuing aprescribed command of a selected one of the management programsaccording to the corresponding command format, based on validating thegeneric command.

Another aspect of the present invention provides a system configured forexecuting a plurality of management programs according to respectivecommand formats. The system includes a parser configured for accessing acharacter-based command parse tree for identifying whether an input wordof a generic command received from a user is a new command word, and acommand parse tree for validating the generic command. The system alsoincludes a tree management process configured for selectively adding theinput word to the character-based command parse tree and the commandparse tree based on a determination that the input word is a new commandword, and translators. The translators are configured for issuingcommands for the management programs according to respective commandformats, the parser outputting a prescribed command to a selected one ofthe translators based on the validating of the generic command.

Additional advantages and novel features of the invention will be setforth in part in the description which follows and in part will becomeapparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the followingor may be learned by practice of the invention. The advantages of thepresent invention may be realized and attained by means ofinstrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in theappended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference is made to the attached drawings, wherein elements having thesame reference numeral designations represent like elements throughoutand wherein:

FIG. 1 is a diagram of a system configured for executing multiplemanagement programs according to respective command formats based on ageneric command set according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are diagrams illustrating a command parse tree and thecharacter-based command parse tree used by the parser of FIG. 1,respectively, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are diagrams summarizing the method of validating andadding generic commands by the parser of FIG. 1 according to anembodiment of the present invention.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

The disclosed embodiment is directed to an improvement of the genericcommand interface disclosed in the above-incorporated application Ser.No. 09/604,880, where a character-based command parse tree and a treemanagement process is added to enable the generic command interfacesystem to automatically update itself upon detecting a new command word.In particular, the character-based command parse tree is used todetermine whether an input word is a new command word relative to knowncommand words; if the input word is determined to be a new command word,the tree management process updates the character-based command parsetree and existing data structures within the generic command interface(e.g., the command parse tree and associated command word translationtables), enabling the automatic addition of the new command word.

Hence, the disclosed arrangement eliminates the necessity for manuallymodifying hard-coded data structures in response to the addition of newcommand words to the generic command interface, improving the overallflexibility of the generic command interface.

FIG. 1 is a diagram of a system configured for executing a plurality ofmanagement programs according to respective command formats according toan embodiment of the present invention. The processor based system 10includes a user input interface 12, for example a terminal interface,that enables a user to input a generic command string, described below.The processor based system 10 also includes a parser 14 configured forvalidating the generic command received by the user input interface 12from the user, an executable tree management process 15 configured formanaging parse trees 22 and 23 accessible by the parser 14, andtranslators 16 configured for issuing commands to respective managementprograms 18 according to respective command formats. The parse trees 22and 23 are described below with reference to FIGS. 2A and 2B.

As shown in FIG. 1, the management programs 18, implemented for exampleby different OAM tools such as RTM programs, may be executed within theprocessor based system or externally as external agents accessible usinga prescribed application programming interface (API). The managementprograms 18 may provide different administration and maintenancefunctions, for example initiating various real-time screens used tomonitor the internal state of executable processes within the softwarebased system 10; alternately, different tools 18 may allow the user tocontrol the various states within the various component of the softwarebased system 10 via external programs (e.g., programs 18 c or 18 d), ormay be used to issue external alarms (e.g., SNMP manager scripts) forexternal routines such as message waiting indicator routines.

A disadvantage of utilizing many different tools 18 is that each tool 18tends to have its own screen and/or command, providing difficulties forthe system administrator to determine which tool is the best tool(and/or which is the best syntax) to use for a given problem.

According to the disclosed embodiment, the parser 14 and the translators16 provide a unified administration and diagnostic tool whichincorporates the functionality of all external administrative executablebinary files, RTM programs, agent manipulation scripts, and variousrequested snapshot queries, as well as including an extensive helpsystem. In particular, the parser 14 and the translators 16 provide ageneric command syntax that integrates the functionality of thedifferent tools 18 and that automatically selects the appropriatecommand for the best tool for executing a given generic command. Asillustrated in Part A. of the attached appendix, the new syntax providesa generic instruction set that provides an abstraction of thetool-specific command formats and syntax, enabling a user to issuecommand based on the relative functions, as opposed to the specificsyntax for a corresponding tool 18.

In addition, the tree management process 15 enables the data structureswithin the processor based system 10 to be dynamically updated upondetecting a new command word using the character-based command parsetree 23, described below with respect to FIG. 2B.

FIG. 2A is a diagram illustrating in detail the parser 14 of FIG. 1according to an embodiment of the present invention. The parser 14includes a command word translation table 20, a (word/token based)command parse tree 22, and a character-based command parse tree 23. Thecharacter-based command parse tree 23 is illustrated in further detailin FIG. 2B.

The command word translation table 20 of FIG. 2A is configured forstoring, for each prescribed command word 26, a corresponding tokenvalue 28 that is used by the parser 14 to identify a specific commandfor a selected one of the translators 16. In particular, the commandword translation table 20 includes all the command words 26 that arevalid according to the generic syntax, illustrated for example in Part Bof the attached appendix.

The parser 14 is configured for determining whether an input word is anew command word or a known command word using the character-basedcommand parse tree 23, and validating a received generic command. Inparticular, assuming an input generic command includes all known commandwords, the parser 14 validates the received generic command by comparingeach input command word to the command parse tree 22 to determine forthe received generic command a tree element 24 identified as a bestmatch. Each tree element 24 includes at least one token-command key pair30 that specifies a token (T) 28 and a corresponding command key (CK)32, enabling the parser 14 to identify the appropriate prescribedcommand based on the command key specified for the matching token. Inparticular, the parser 14 recursively traverses the command parse tree22 for each command word to identify the best match for the genericcommand. If only a portion of the generic command is identified as valid(e.g., only the first three command words are valid), the parser 14selects the command key 32 for the matching token 28 from the last validtree element 24.

As described above, the parser 14 is configured for accessing whether aninput word is a new command word or a known command word using thecharacter-based command parse tree 23. The character-based command parsetree 23, illustrated in FIG. 2B, includes multiple levels 60 ofcharacter elements 62 representing characters of known command words.Each character element 62 has a corresponding character component and acorresponding integer word key 68 (i.e., index value) that uniquelyidentifies the character element 62. Hence, each known known commandword is identified by a corresponding word token identified by the wordkey 68 of the last character of the word, where the word “get” has acorresponding word token “3” from the word key 68 of character element62 c, and the word “watch” has a corresponding word token “A”(hexadecimal representation for “10”) from the word key 68 of characterelement 62 j. In addition, each level 60 corresponds to a characterposition of a known command word, where the root level 60 a includescharacter elements 62 a and 62 d that correspond to the initialcharacter of known command words “get”, “wait”, and “watch”. Theadjacent levels 60 b, 60 c, 60 d, and 60 e are used to identify thesecond, third, fourth, and fifth character positions of a command word,respectively.

Hence, the parser 14 is able to determine that the input word “get” is aknown command word based on parsing the tree 23 on a character bycharacter basis until the last character of the word matches an endnode. Similarly, the parser 14 is able to determine that the input word“wait” is a known command word based on parsing the tree 23 to reach theend node 62 g having the word key “7”. The parser 14 is able todetermine that the input word “watch” is a known command word based onparsing the tree 23 to reach the end node 62 j having the word key “A”.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are diagrams summarizing the method of validating areceived generic command and translating the received generic commandinto a command for a specific management program according to anembodiment of the present invention. The operations described withrespect to FIGS. 2A, 2B, 3A, and 3B can be implemented as executablecode that is stored on a computer readable medium (e.g., a hard diskdrive, a floppy drive, a random access memory, a read only memory, anEPROM, a compact disk, etc).

The method begins in step 40, where the parser 14 receives an input wordfrom the user input interface 12. The parser 14 compares in step 42 thefirst character of the input word with the character elements 62 a, 62 dat the root level 60 a. If in step 44 the parser 14 does not detect amatch between the first character and the root level character elements,the parser 14 notifies the tree management process 15, causing the treemanagement process 15 to add in step 56 the new word to the trees 22 and23, as well as the translation table 20. If the parser 14 detects instep 44 a match between the first character and one of the root levelcharacter elements, the parser checks in step 46 whether there areadditional characters for comparison. If there are more characters forcomparison, the parser 14 compares the next character with the linkedcharacter elements of the next (adjacent) level in step 48 and checksfor a match in step 50, similar to step 44. The parser 14 then checksfor more characters in step 52, and continues until all characters ofthe input word have been parsed relative to the tree 23.

After all the characters of the input word have been parsed, if theparser 14 determines in step 54 that the last matching character doesnot correspond to an end node (i.e., the matching character element 62for the last character was not an end node), the tree management processadds the new word in step 56; however if the last matching charactercorresponds to an end node (e.g., 62 c, 62 g, or 62 j), the parser 14identifies in step 55 the command word by the corresponding word key inthe end node. Hence, the new word can be dynamically added to the datastructures, without the necessity of manual manipulation by a softwareengineer.

FIG. 3B illustrates validation of the generic command followingidentification of an input word as a new command word or a known commandword. The parser begins in step 140 by parsing the first word of thereceived generic command by comparing the first input command word tothe command word translation table 20 for identification of a matchingtoken 28. For example, assume that the parser 14 receives the validcommand “watch tcp connections”. The parser identifies the token value“8” as corresponding to the first command word “watch”. The parser 14than traverses the command parse tree 22 in step 142 to search for thematching token 28. As illustrated in FIG. 2A, the parser 14 locates thematching token in the first tree element 24 a. If the parser 14determines in step 144 that the first command word is valid, the parser14 continues searching the next command word in step 146. If the firstcommand word is invalid based on no match in the first element 24 a ofthe command parse tree, the parser 14 returns an invalid command messageto the user in step 156.

The parser 14 then parses the next word (e.g., “tcp”) of the receivedgeneric command in step 146 by locating the corresponding token 28(e.g., “6” for “tcp”) in the table 20, and then traversing in step 148the tree elements that depend from the matched tree element 24 a (e.g.,24 b). The parser 14 determines a match between the token 28 (“6”)corresponding to the command word “tcp” in the token-command key pair 30d in step 150, enabling the parser to continue for the next commandword. As described above, the parser 14 repeats the process in step 152for the third command word “connections” having the token “2” andidentifying a match between the entire generic command and thetoken-command key 30 specified in the tree element 24 c. The parser 14identifies in step 154 the prescribed command for a selected one of thetranslators 16 based on the value of the command key 32 within thematching token-command key pair 30 (e.g., “CK=3”) of the last validcommand word, which maps to a translation table that specifies aspecific command for a specific translator 16.

As described above, the parser 14 can identify a command key 32 even ifonly a portion of the command is valid. Assume for example that theparser 14 receives the invalid command “get udp connection info”. Inthis case, the individual command words are valid from the command wordtranslation table 20, however, the sequence is invalid. In particular,the command word “get” having a token value of “3” reaches thetoken-command key pair 30 b, however the command word “udp” having atoken value of “7” does not reach any child of the tree element 24 a.Hence, the parser 14 uses the last valid command key (“6”) in step 154based on the matching token for the first valid word located in thetoken-command key pair 30 b. The command key is mapped to a selected oneof the translators 16 in an attempt to provide a command to thecorresponding resource 18. If the selected resource 18 determines thatthe command is invalid, the selected resource 18 at that time may promptthe user for a correct command.

The disclosed arrangement enables the use of generic commands formultiple OAM tools that have respective command syntax, resulting in asingle point of entry for administering and maintaining complex softwarebased systems. The disclosed arrangement provides the user a single setof commands and syntax to learn, facilitating the use of multipleadministrative and maintenance tools. Moreover, the disclosedarrangement enables new command words to be identified and automaticallyadded without manual reconfiguration of executable code or datastructures.

While this invention has been described in connection with what ispresently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment,it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to thedisclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to covervarious modifications and equivalent arrangements included within thespirit and scope of the appended claims.

APPENDIX PART A: Command Syntax Mapping Old Command/ Functional Item NewSyntax Line/Syntax Set RTM Sample set watchtime <Object>view Times <# inms> -t <# in ms> (from command line only) Get RTM Sample get watchtime -None - Times Watch BASE Global watch acb globals BASEview Client/ServerBASEview -g Server Information BASEview -h then press g Watch BASEThread watch acb threads BASEview -h[<Rec#>] Information BASEview thenpress h Watch APP Global watch acb globals APPview Information APPview-g APPview -i then press g Watch APP ICT Table watch acb entries APPview-i[<Rec#>] Entry Information APPview then press i Watch TNT Group watchcma groups TNTview then press g Information Watch TNT Session watch cmasessions TNTview Information Watch H323 watch h323 entries H323viewInformation H323view -h | H<Rec#> H323view -r | -s then press h WatchRadvision watch h323 H323view -r | R<Rec#> Information radvisionH323view then press r Watch H323 State watch h323 states H323view -s |S<Rec#> Information H323view [-r] then press s Start BASE start systemobs -o APP -s up possibly startobj.ksh Quiesce BASE quiesce acb obs -oAPP -s quiesce Stop BASE stop system obs -o APP -s down Start TNT startcma obs -o TNT -s up Stop TNT stop cma obs -o TNT -s down Quiesce TNTquiesce cma obs -o APP -s quiesce Get BASE status get system status obs-o APP Get Application status watch acb entries obs -o TNT ps -eaf |grep <Application> Reload all ICT entries reload sched all reloadschedReload specific reload sched static reloadstatic <APP> ICT entry <StaticApplication> possibly startapp <APP> (where <Static Application> couldbe TNT, LogRemover, etc.) Get schedule table watch acb entries More$PARMLIB/parms/ APP/Sched* Get current logging get loglevels - None - ?level for APP Set error logging level set loglevel loglevel APP error<off | for APP acb error local > <off | local> Set warning logging setloglevel acb loglevel APP warning level for APP warning <off | local><off | local> Set info logging level set loglevel acb info loglevel APPinfo for APP <off | local> <off | local> Set debug logging set loglevelacb de- Loglevel APP debug level for APP bug <off | local> <off | local>Get current logging get loglevels - None - ? level for TNT Set errorlogging set loglevel cma er- loglevel TNT error level for TNT ror <off |local> <off | local> Set warning logging set loglevel cma loglevel TNTwarning level for TNT warning <off | local> <off | local> Set debuglogging Set loglevel cma de- loglevel TNT debug level for TNT bug <off |local> <off | local> Get Help for RTM help watch <Object>view -?functions Get Help for SNMP help [start | obs functions stop | quiesce]Get Help for reload help reload reloadsched (no parms, functions nohelp) reloadstatic Get Help for logging help set loglevel functions GetHelp for query help get Obs functions Get Help on help help help Exitutility exit Q key on RTMs

APPENDIX PART B: Generic Command Examples Watch This command displaysthe requested RTM screen Command Usage: Watch <Object> [<Screen>] ValidObject/Screen Pairs: Valid Obj Screens Description acb globals DisplaysACB Global counters information entries Displays ACB Entry informationstates Displays ACB States information comm Displays ACB CommunicationLayer information threads Displays ACB Thread information cma groupsDisplay group information sessions Display session information scrDisplay CMA System Call Router information h323 entries Display the fullH323 information screen radvision Display the full radvision informationscreen states Displays the combined (H323/Rad) states info (Note: CMAallocates double the MaxPorts configurable in H323.ini, so this screenwill show double the MaxPorts entries) sms Displays SMS informationfaxprint Displays FaxPrint process information notify DisplaysMWI_OnOffNotification info Get This command allows the user to requestcertain system variable values. Command Usage: get <Variable> ValidVariables: Variable Description watchtime Gets the number ofmilliseconds between RTM (watch) screen refreshes system status Gets thecurrent status of the system (up, down, quiesce) loglevels Gets thecurrent run-time logging levels for ACB, CMA, and all loadedSTATIC/STATIC_NOWAIT agents Set This command allows the user to seteither UMCLI variables or overall system variables. Command Usage: set<variable> <value> Valid Variable/Value Pairs: Variable Valid ValuesDescription watchtime Numeric in Sets the refresh time for RTMmilliseconds screens in milliseconds. Any values less than 500 will beset to 500. loglevel acb error “off” or “local” Turns ACT Error levellogging off or local loglevel acb warning “off” or “local” Turns ACTWarning level logging off or local loglevel acb info “off” or “local”Turns ACT Info level logging off or local loglevel acb debug “off” or“local” Turns ACT Debug level logging offer local loglevel cma error“off” or “local” Turns CMA Error level logging off or local loglevel cmawarning “off” or “local” Turns CMA Warning level logging off or localloglevel cma info “off” or “local” Turns CMA Info level logging off orlocal loglevel cma debug “off” or “local” Turns CMA Debug level loggingoff or local loglevel <PID> error “off” or “local” Turns <PID> Errorlevel logging off or local (where <PID> is the PID of any scheduledagent) loglevel <PID> warning “off” or “local” Turns <PID> Warning levellogging off or local (where <PID> is the PID of any scheduled agent)loglevel <PID> info “off” or “local” Turns <PID> Info level logging offor local (where <PID> is the PID of any scheduled agent) loglevel <PID>debug “off” or “local” Turns <PID> Debug level logging off or local(where <PID> is the PID of any scheduled agent) Start This commandallows the user to start various system agents or the entire system.Command Usage: start <Agent> Valid Agents: Agent Description systemStarts the entire system acb Starts a manually stopped or quiesced ACBagent cma Starts a manually stopped or quiesced CMA agent (newfunctionality coming to allow quiesce of CMA . . . start will beimplemented with a spobjstate CMA R command) logging Starts the loggingsubsystem Stop This command allows the user to stop the TNT agent or theentire system. This command does NOT bring any running LOGSUB processdown, since it is a peer process to the system and could be used byexternal agents which could still be running and need the service.Command Usage: stop <Agent> <Screen> Valid Agents: Agent Descriptionsystem Stops the entire system (including Logging) acb Stops a runningor quiesced ACB agent cma Stops a running or quiesced CMA agent loggingStops the logging subsystem only if the ACB agent is down Quiesce Thiscommand allows the user to quiesce the APP or TNT agent. Command Usage:quiesce <Agent> Valid Agents: Agent Description acb Quiesces acb cmaQuiesces a running CMA agent Reload This command allows the user toreload various configuration files. Command Usage: reload <Agent>[<Parameters>] Valid Applications: Application Parameters Descriptioncmaloglevels Causes CMA to reload the DBG and TRACE sections of theSPARMLIB/TNT/parms/TNT.ini configuration file. Dialmap Causes CMA toreload $PARMLIB/ TNT/parms/DialMap.ini Route “acb” or “cma” Causes ACBto reload either $PARMLIB/ parms/APP/Route.<hostname> (acb) or$PARMLIB/parms/TNT/Route. <hostname> (cma) Sched “all” or “static CausesACB to reschedule either all or <token>” a single agent defined in$PARMLIB/ parms/APP/Schedule.<hostname> (Use of the static <token>parameter requires that <token> had previously been scheduled either asa STATIC or STATIC_NOWAIT.) Help This command allows the user to gethelp on the valid commands available, their usage, and what they mean.Command Usage: help [<command>] Valid Commands: Commands Description<None> Help without any parameters gives the users either a list of thetop level commands (help set to “short”) or the top level commands andall valid sub commands under each top level commands (help set to“full”) watch Gives the user a list of valid screens and what each oneis get Gives the user a list of valid variables to query set Gives theuser a list of valid variables and valid values for each variable artGives the user a list of valid Agents to start stop Gives the user alist of valid Agents to stop quiesce Gives the user a list of validAgents to quiesce reload Gives the user a list of valid Configurables(and possibly optional parameters) to reload. help The ubiquitous helpon help (probably not necessary . . . )

What is claimed is:
 1. A method in a processor-based system configuredfor executing a plurality of management programs according to respectivecommand formats, the method comprising: receiving from a user an inputword representing at least a portion of a generic command; determiningwhether the input word is a new command word relative to acharacter-based command parse tree configured for identifying knowncommand words; selectively adding the input word to the character-basedcommand parse tree based on determining that the input word is a newcommand word; validating the generic command following the selectivelyadding step; and issuing a prescribed command of a selected one of themanagement programs according to the corresponding command format, basedon validating the generic command; wherein the determining stepincludes: comparing a first character of the input word with a group offirst character elements at a root level of the character-based commandparse tree, the first character elements including respective initialcharacters of the known command words; successively traversing to alinked character element in an adjacent level of the character-basedcommand parse tree based on a corresponding match between acorresponding character of the input word and a corresponding matchedcharacter element of the character-based a command parse tree; andidentifying the input word as a new command word based on a determinedabsence of a match for one character of the input word relative to thelinked character elements.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein thesuccessively traversing step includes identifying the linked characterelement in the adjacent level based on a linked index value.
 3. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the validating step includes: comparing eachinput command word, including the input word, to a command wordtranslation table, configured for storing for each prescribed commandword a corresponding token, for identification of a matching token; anddetermining a presence of the matching token within the command parsetree for each input command word.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein thedetermining step includes recursively traversing the command parse treebased on an order of the input command words for identification of thematching token within the identified one element.
 5. the method of claim4, wherein the issuing step includes issuing the prescribed commandbased on a corresponding command key specified for the matching tokenwithin the identified one element.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein theissuing step further includes accessing a prescribed translatorconfigured for converting the generic command according to thecorresponding command format into the prescribed command based on thecorresponding command key.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein thevalidating step includes: traversing a command parse tree that specifiesvalid generic commands relative to a prescribed generic command format,the command parse tree having elements each specifying at least onecorresponding generic command component and a corresponding at least onecommand action value; and identifying one of the elements of the commandparse tree as a best match relative to the generic command.
 8. Themethod of claim 7, wherein the issuing step includes issuing theprescribed command based on the identified one element corresponding tothe portion of the generic command.
 9. The method of claim 8, furthercomprising executing the prescribed command within the correspondingselected one management program.
 10. A computer readable medium havingstored thereon sequences of instructions for executing a plurality ofmanagement programs according to respective command formats, thesequences of instructions including instructions for performing thesteps of: receiving from a user an input word representing at least aportion of a generic command; determining whether the input word is anew command word relative to a character-based command parse treeconfigured for identifying known command words; selectively adding theinput word to the character-based command parse tree based ondetermining that the input word is a new command word; validating thegeneric command following the selectively adding step; and issuing aprescribed command of a selected one of the management programsaccording to the corresponding command format, based on validating thegeneric command; wherein the determining step includes: comparing afirst character of the input word with a group of first characterelements at a root level of the character-based command parse tree, thefirst character elements including respective initial characters of theknown command words; successively traversing to a linked characterelement in an adjacent level of the character-based command parse treebased on a corresponding match between a corresponding character of theinput word and a corresponding matched character element of thecharacter-based a command parse tree; and identifying the input word asa new command word based on a determined. absence of a match for onecharacter of the input word relative to the linked character elements.11. The medium of claim 10, wherein the successively traversing stepincludes identifying the linked character element in the adjacent levelbased on a linked index value.
 12. The medium of claim 10, wherein thevalidating step includes: comparing each input command word, includingthe input word, to a command word translation table, configured forstoring for each prescribed command word a corresponding token, foridentification of a matching token; and determining a presence of thematching token within the command parse tree for each input commandword.
 13. The medium of claim 12, wherein the determining step includesrecursively traversing the command parse tree based on an order of theinput command words for identification of the matching token within theidentified one element.
 14. The medium of claim 13, wherein the issuingstep includes issuing the prescribed command based on a correspondingcommand key specified for the matching token within the identified oneelement.
 15. The medium of claim 14, wherein the issuing step furtherincludes accessing a prescribed translator configured for converting thegeneric command according to the corresponding command format into theprescribed command based on the corresponding command key.
 16. Themedium of claim 10, wherein the validating step includes: traversing acommand parse tree that specifies valid generic commands relative to aprescribed generic command format, the command parse tree havingelements each specifying at least one corresponding generic commandcomponent and a corresponding at least one command action value; andidentifying one of the elements of the command parse tree as a bestmatch relative to the generic command.
 17. The medium of claim 16,wherein the issuing step includes issuing the prescribed command basedon the identified one element corresponding to the portion of thegeneric command.
 18. The medium of claim 17, further comprisinginstructions for performing the step of executing the prescribed commandwithin the corresponding selected one management program.
 19. A systemconfigured for executing a plurality of management programs according torespective command formats, the system comprising: means for receivingfrom a user an input word representing at least a portion of a genericcommand; means for determining whether the input word is a new commandword relative to a character-based command parse tree configured foridentifying known command words; means for selectively adding the inputword to the character-based command parse tree based on determining thatthe input word is a new command word; means for validating the genericcommand following the selectively adding step; and means for issuing aprescribed command of a selected one of the management programsaccording to the corresponding command format, based on validating thegeneric command; wherein the determining means includes: means forcomparing a first character of the input word with a group of firstcharacter elements at a root level of the character-based command parsetree, the first character elements including respective initialcharacters of the known command words; means for successively traversingto a linked character element in an adjacent level of thecharacter-based command parse tree based on a corresponding matchbetween a corresponding character of the input word and a correspondingmatched character element of the character-based a command parse tree;and means for identifying the input word as a new command word based ona determined absence of a match for one character of the input wordrelative to the linked character elements.
 20. The system of claim 19,wherein the successively traversing means is configured for identifyingthe linked character element in the adjacent level based on a linkedindex value.
 21. The system of claim 19, wherein the validating meansincludes: means for comparing each input command word, including theinput word, to a command word translation table, configured for storingfor each prescribed command word a corresponding token, foridentification of a matching token; and means for determining a presenceof the matching token within the command parse tree for each inputcommand word.
 22. The system of claim 21, wherein the determining meansis configured for recursively traversing the command parse tree based onan order of the input command words for identification of the matchingtoken within the identified one element.
 23. The system of claim 22,wherein the issuing means is configured for issuing the prescribedcommand based on a corresponding command key specified for the matchingtoken within the identified one element.
 24. The system of claim 23,wherein the issuing means is configured for accessing a prescribedtranslator configured for converting the generic command according tothe corresponding command format into the prescribed command based onthe corresponding command key.
 25. The system of claim 19, wherein thevalidating means includes: means for traversing a command parse treethat specifies valid generic commands relative to a prescribed genericcommand format, the command parse tree having elements each specifyingat least one corresponding generic command component and a correspondingat least one command action value; and means for identifying one of theelements of the command parse tree as a best match relative to thegeneric command.
 26. The system of claim 25, wherein the issuing meansis configured for issuing the prescribed command based on the identifiedone element corresponding to the portion of the generic command.
 27. Thesystem of claim 26, further comprising means for executing theprescribed command within the corresponding selected one managementprogram.